Fragile
by Maeglin
Summary: Lucius observes, and gets more than he bargained for. Pre-Slash. HP/LM


Fragile

by Maeglin Yedi

Pairing: HP/LM

Rating: PG-13

Warning: some angst, talk about suicide

Disclaimer: all the characters from Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I just play with them once in a while. 

Feedback: most welcome; maeglin.yedi@lycos.nl

Archive: 

Summary: Lucius observes and gets more than he bargained for. 

A/N: I haven´t the foggiest where this came from. I decided to respond to the ´challenge´ to write something that would continue from the first paragraph of ´HP and the Order of the Phoenix´ and this rolled out of my pen....er, well, computer ;-)

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The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive...The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four.

His Muggle relatives were nowhere in sight, and Lucius took all the time he needed to study the boy.....the young man, who was lying between daisies and forget-me-nots, looking almost as fragile as the flowers that surrounded him. 

His eyes firmly closed, one arm stretched out over his head, and the other arm casually resting on his chest. Unruly black hair in sharp contrast with the pale skin on his face. He was a vision, Lucius decided. A vision of innocence. 

His orders had been simple. Observe the boy. Get to know his every move, his every breath, his every heartbeat. Know your enemy, his Lord had told him before he had sent him off to this hideous Muggle town. And now Lucius Malfoy, powerful Wizard and trusted servant of Lord Voldemort, was hiding in the shadows of a large Maple tree in front of Privet Drive number four, observing his Lord´s enemy. 

A fragile looking boy surrounded by flowers, his pale skin reflecting the warm, golden rays of the setting sun. 

His Lord´s enemy. 

It was almost ridiculous to think of this boy as an enemy. But Lucius had long ago learned never to underestimate your enemies. And to never be fooled by one´s appearance. 

Because this fragile looking boy surrounded by flowers was a powerful Wizard himself. Undoubtedly the boy had no knowledge of this, seeing that a manipulative man like Dumbledore would most likely not want to share information like that with his beloved pupil. But Lucius knew better. His Lord knew better. 

This fragile looking boy surrounded by flowers could be their downfall. Could possibly destroy them all. And that was why Lucius was hiding in the shadows of a Maple tree, observing, learning, preparing.

But it was hard to think of this innocent boy as their enemy. As their downfall. Because Lucius had expected to see a well-fed, tanned, lively teen-age boy when he had started observing the boy five days ago. But to his surprise, perhaps even to his astonishment, the boy was looking pale, half-starved, and those emerald green eyes held not the slightest flicker of life when they looked upon the world. 

It was hard to think of this boy as their enemy when his Muggle relatives made him do housework all day, keeping him locked away in their house. Every so often, usually around this time, when the sun was about to set behind all the identical looking Muggle houses, they would let the boy outside as one would do with a dog. Let him catch some fresh air. Right before they would call him back into the prison that was disguised as a house.

Lucius couldn´t resist a smile when he thought about the news he would take to his Lord. Voldemort wouldn´t have to worry about breaking the boy. His Muggle relatives were already doing the job for him. 

"What do you think would be the best way to kill yourself?"

The raspy voice of the boy startled Lucius, and he automatically drew back deeper into the shadows of the Maple tree. 

"I am asking you something, Malfoy."

Damn.

The boy knew he was there. 

Lucius straightened his robes, and stepped out of the shadows. The boy tilted his head up a bit, and stared at him with questioning eyes. 

"Why kill yourself?" Lucius drawled as he carefully stepped closer to the boy. "Why not let someone else do the job for you?"

The boy snickered. 

The fragile looking boy surrounded with flowers snickered, and looked at him with an empty grin. 

"Are you volunteering?"

Lucius couldn´t help himself, and chuckled. This wasn´t as he had expected things to go but that didn´t mean that they hadn´t turned out to be interesting nonetheless. 

"What is with the sudden death wish, Potter?" Lucius inquired softly and immediately wondered why he was asking the fragile looking boy such a question. Shouldn´t he be offering his services to the boy right now? Convince him that a quick and well-aimed Avada Kedavra could give the boy what he so desperately seemed to want, and hand his lifeless corpse over to his Lord as an early birthday present?

"If I´m dead perhaps the people around me won´t die," was the boy´s answer after a few moments of silence. 

Lucius stepped closer to the boy, carefully feeling out his surroundings for protection spells or defense charms. When he sensed none, he stepped onto the grass, and stood but a few feet away from the boy. 

"Aren´t you giving yourself a little too much credit, child?" Lucius asked while he let his eyes wander across the boy´s thin body covered in oversized Muggle clothing. 

"I´m not a child." The boy frowned. Lucius threw his head back, and laughed. 

"I beg the difference. Only a child would think Death to be the answer to their problems," Lucius said after he had finished laughing, and was staring down at the boy who was looking up at him curiously. 

"Well, isn´t it?" the boy asked, sounding somewhat confused. 

"Of course not. Life is never as simple as death, child," Lucius explained patiently. The boy sighed, and closed his eyes again. Seeing the fragile looking boy surrounded by flowers close his eyes gave Lucius a strong feeling of power. He could draw his wand any time and do whatever he wanted to the boy. Stun him. Kill him. 

But he didn´t. 

Lucius was a powerful Wizard, a Slytherin, and a servant to the Dark Lord, but that didn´t mean that he took pleasure in harming an unarmed opponent. Especially not when his opponent was a fragile looking boy surrounded by flowers. A vision of innocence. 

"Why aren´t you killing me?" the boy asked, and Lucius raised an eyebrow. 

Yes. Why wasn´t he killing him?

"Why are you being nice to me?" the boy continued, and Lucius felt offended. He was not being nice to the boy. He was......not killing or hurting the boy but that didn´t mean that he was being nice. 

"Would you rather that I´d kill you on the spot or tease you with Cruciatus for a while?" Lucius snorted, and the boy opened his eyes again. 

"At least that would be you acting like I think you would act." The boy sighed, and Lucius blinked. Wasn´t he acting the way he was supposed to act? Before he could respond the boy continued. 

"Let me guess, His Royal Highness wants to do the job himself. That´s just my luck. He sends down a competent Wizard who isn´t allowed to touch me. Or maybe you just aren´t as competent as people like to believe that you are?"

Before Lucius fully realized what he was doing he had drawn his wand, and pointed it between the eyes of the boy. 

"Trust me, child. I am more than competent for this particular job," he snarled. But the boy didn´t respond. Didn´t as much as tremble or shudder or gasp. He just looked up at him with big, green, lifeless eyes. 

And much to his dismay Lucius noticed that he in fact was trembling.  He grabbed his wand tighter, and narrowed his eyes. 

Two little words. 

Two little words to end both the boy´s and his own misery. 

Two little words and he would be looking down at The-Boy-Who-Died surrounded by flowers. 

And then the boy did something that threw Lucius completely off guard. 

He smiled at him. 

Not a taunting, challenging smile. 

A genuine smile. 

But it never reached his big, green, lifeless eyes. 

How could Lucius kill this fragile looking boy surrounded by flowers? 

He was already dead. 

Lucius lowered his wand, and stared at the boy who was looking up at him with hopeful eyes. 

"Come, child." Lucius reached out his hand. Much to his surprise the boy took it, and Lucius pulled him onto his feet. 

"Where are we going?" the boy asked him, and now it was Lucius´ turn to smile. 

"Home."

~~fin~~


End file.
